Picture Perfect
by shastawrites
Summary: [AU] Hayate is a photographer looking for inspiration for an upcoming exhibit. He finds it in his best friend's fiancee, Himeno. Too bad she and Sasame are already madly in love. Chapter 6 up!
1. Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder

Summary: Hayate is a photographer looking for inspiration for an upcoming exhibit. He finds it in his best friend's fiancée, Himeno. Too bad she and Sasame are already madly in love.

HayateHimeno/ HimenoSasame

I don't own Shin Shirayukihime Densetsu Pretear.

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Picture Perfect

Chapter 1: Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder

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Beer is definitely not for me. It was just three months before the upcoming exhibit and Ito Hayate was still at square one, trying to figure out what his subject was. He had already used nature in the past years, and he wanted to produce something different this year.

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Hayate had turned to drinking in the hopes of inducing some burst of inspiration caused by the hyped alcohol levels in his blood. Unfortunately, the beverage didn't agree with him, and he ended up throwing up whatever had entered his mouth.

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Remembering that it was already past office hours, he stumbled out of the room and waved goodbye to his colleague, Miboshi Goh, who was doing overtime that night.

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"Otsukaresama."

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"O saka ni shitsurei shimasu."

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"Ki o tsukete!"

"Hai, hai, chotto matte, where are my house keys? My car keys are here but…"

Hayate felt in his pockets for the lost pieces of metal. His eyes widened in surprise as they eluded him. Banging the door in frustration, he stomped back towards his office when he heard the familiar jingle of his keys. They were in Goh's possession, who was by the way grinning from ear to ear. "Looking for these?" He grunted in reply and swiped them from Goh's hands. "Grumpy as usual, aren't we?" Goh gave a quick salute and said, "Mata ashita!" Hayate smirked and said, "Lucky or you I'm seeing double right now, or else your face would have had contact with my fist already. Ja!"

Knowing he was in no condition to drive, Hayate decided to walk to his house. "It's just a few blocks away," he muttered with a shrug. He plodded onto the crowded streets, making his way through the horde. Too many teenage girls sidled up to him in the hopes of snagging a rich boyfriend. Old, staggering geezers decided to take the opportunity to have some youthful company. Hayate politely refused, saying that his wife was already waiting for him.

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Suckers… Hayate was known for being a lady-killer, not in the sense that he toyed with them, but he left them heartbroken with his unattainable good looks. You'd have to be either a blind person or a super straight guy to avoid getting whiplash from the sought-after bachelor.

The cool wind did wonders for him, clearing his vision and refreshing him. How he loved taking night strolls round the city, inhaling the different scents and absorbing the various sights and sounds. There were so many beautiful lights that flashed heartily for him, making him drink in the whole urban experience. He had this amazing fetish for light, to the point that he had a lamp post installed in his bedroom. He chuckled lightly as he remembered the surprised faces of the visitors who saw the tall metal post with a lamp on top right beside his futon. Eccentricity does have its fringe benefits.

Speaking of eccentricity, he shared this with his best friend, Yoshida Sasame who was flying in the country to let Hayate meet his bride to be. They were friends since birth, sharing the same crib, clothes, whatnots…

Sasame had always talked of having his own family. It was one of the many dreams he pursued, including the internationally acclaimed singer bit. He met her while on a concert in Hong Kong, and he has never let go of her since.

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Hayate hadn't the slightest idea who she was, what she looked like, or what her name was for that matter. He just hoped she would be the right one for his best bud. _We'll see_…

Finally he stepped up to his front door and leaned against it, but to his surprise it swung open, flinging him on top of a small woman, probably a year or two younger than him. She had short pink hair which was fluffed up at the ends, giving her the appearance of an upside-down tulip. _She smells nice… Wait, this isn't the time for that Hayate..._

Her eyes were screwed shut, but they flew open when he asked, "What are you doing in my house?" She gave no reply but colored prettily which Hayate noticed. It was then that he realized that he was still on top of her, sprawled onto the floor. He quickly got up and offered his hand to hoist her up. She straightened her clothes, arranged her tousled hair, and then extended her hand to Hayate.

"Konbanwa Ito-san. I'm Awayuki Himeno. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

To be continued…

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I'm back! Sorry for the weird surnames, I can't find my good list. It is fan fiction after all… Sorry for the shortness of the chapter; next one will be coming soon. Please give me feedback! Arigato gozaimashita!

Hey, do you guys remember Feel My Love? The one I erased? Hope you review this one! Thanks!


	2. Simply Irresistible

I still hope I can raise enough money to buy Shin Shirayukihime Densetsu Pretear.

Thanks to misakichi and Dark Phoenix and the anonymous person who reviewed (twice) my fic. I really appreciate them. Oh, be the way, sorry for not putting translations... I was really sleepy while typing, I forgot. Here they are:

Otsukaresama- you must be tired/thank you for your work   
O saka ni shitsurei shimasu- sorry for leaving before you   
Ki o tsukete- be careful/take care   
Chotto matte- wait a minute   
Mata ashita- see you tomorrow (ashita means tomorrow btw)   
Ja- bye   
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu- it's nice to meet you   
Konbanwa- good evening   
Hai- yup! 

Ok? Here's the new chapter. Sorry but I'm quickening the pace... characters would probably lose their character... I'm warning you, there will be ten chapters, and the ending won't be very happy (see my notes at end of story)... but no one will die! Yay!

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Picture Perfect

Chapter 2: Simply Irresistible

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Hayate stared at the person who introduced herself to him. Apparently, she knew everything about him, from his type of lock, key, car, clothes…heck, he wouldn't be surprised if she knew his social security number.

Finally, his brain told him to shake the hand she extended to him. He wouldn't want to seem like some savage beast now, would he? "Sit down," said Himeno. "Demo, Awayuki-san, I need to…" She simply pushed him to the chair and started removing his coat, his blazer, and then his tie…Hayate turned pink as she started on his shirt. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" She rolled her eyes and told him, "You're obviously drunk, and I don't see why you shouldn't change your clothes." "I can take care of myself, thank you." He got up and walked towards his bedroom. On second thought, he went back to the living room.

"How did you know my name?"

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"…" _She must have read my mail_…

"Where did you come from?"

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"…"

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"Where do you live?"

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"…" _Poor girl, she must have lost her home_…

"Well, fine then, you can sleep in the guest room. Only for today alright? Tomorrow you're going to look for another place to crash." _My heart's not made of stone…maybe ice…_

He finally noticed that he was talking to air. She wasn't staring back at him with puppy-dog-eyes as he expected. Hayate then scanned the room, looking for any sign of her. He saw a tuft of pink hair sticking up from under a cushion. He went round and found her lying on the couch with a blanket spread on her. Sighing then, raking his hands through his dark hair, he decided to wake her up to take her to the guest room.

He prodded her with his pen, placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently, with a bit more force, then with a lot of force…nothing. She just slept there like a rock.

A vein popped on his forehead. Resisting the urge to scream, bang pots together, and pour water on her, he decided to carry her up. Gathering her in his arms, he found her very light. She murmured something which Hayate strained his ears to hear. She nestled closer to his chest unexpectedly, making Hayate turn a good shade of crimson.

He plopped her down onto the bed, tucking Himeno in as a parent would do to a child. He started for the door when he felt a hand grab his. Hayate whirled around to give her a good lecture on trespassing when he saw her face illuminated by the gentle moon. Long, thick lashes, a pert little nose, and an adorable pout with soft, pink lips…_Shit, it_ _must be the beer_…He couldn't deny that he wanted to caress her creamy skin, stroke her hair, and maybe, just maybe, kiss her under the romantic moon.

Hayate's heart raced as he slowly lowered his face to hers. He could smell her now, a delightful mix of vanilla and lavender. Hayate grasped her small white hand tighter as he closed his eyes in anticipation of the kiss. Ever so gently, he let his lips brush slightly over hers, tingling delightfully from the contact. Caught up in the mood and drunk with the sensation, he deepened the kiss and explored the intoxicating sweetness of her mouth.

Hayate jerked his head up as he realized what he had been doing. Backing away from the bed, he quickly went to the bathroom to drown himself in really, really cold water. He didn't stay long enough to hear Himeno whisper, "Sasame…"

He let the water drench his hair, his clothes, and his bewildered self. Nothing had prepared him for the feeling that was driving him crazy. He'd been used to the beautiful women falling madly in love with him. Now it's his turn to worship the angelic creature that he just met minutes earlier.

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The winter of his heart had just melted into spring.

To be continued…

I wasn't sure who Himeno's going to end up with, so my classmates Ria and Paige helped me. I was to draw four pieces of paper to see who's going to be the loser, and I always drew the 'all of them will die' paper. But, it was fate; I drew three lots with his name on it…the title's very appropriate for the ending at least.

Please give me your feedback, no flames please! Thanks a lot! Sorry if the chapters are short...


	3. No Work and All Play

If I could choose a parallel universe, it would be the one where I created Pretear.

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Summary: Himeno gets to tag along at work.

Please review guys, the chapter's a bit useless but it's very important for the development thing. A bit boring, but anyways, here it goes. No flames please, I'm not immune anymore.

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Picture Perfect

Chapter 3: No Work and All Play

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Hayate had lost his beauty sleep. Thoughts about the stolen kiss invaded his mind, forcing him to think of a way to apologize to the 'guest'. He planned to go to her room at exactly 7 am, knock on her door to wake her up, and apologize. If she doesn't wake up, he'll come barging in, shake her eyes open and scream 'gomenasai' at the top of his lungs.

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Then a little devil crept in his mind. "_How about kissing her again while she's still asleep? Or maybe go a little bit further_?"

Hayate punched himself mentally. _Stop it you pervert. Maybe if I ask her nicely enough, she'll dismiss the whole thing as an effect of the alcohol._

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The devil once again comes. _"How about not telling her? That would save your own skin. Besides, you know that sober or not, you would have still done it."_

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Arg, that's true…No, I still have some dignity in me. I have to be a man. I will do it!

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"That's right; that's just the way it is when you get those manly urges. Go get that pretty lady you little--"

Shut up.

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He dressed himself in his favorite suit, black with a dark blue silk shirt and a navy blue tie. He sprayed on his favorite cologne, checked himself in front of the mirror and went to the guest room. _Perfect_.

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Hayate gathered up his courage to knock. He gave the door three sharp raps before he pressed his ear to it to listen. He couldn't hear anything, so he turned the knob and went inside. The curtains were made of a very thick material, blocking the light, making it very dark inside the room. Assuming she was still asleep, he pulled up a chair beside the bed and started talking.

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"Awayuki-san, I deeply apologize for um…I'm sorry for, wait that doesn't sound right. I'm just here to apologize for my behavior last night. I was drunk, you were there, you seemed awfully beautiful so I decided to…I'm so sorry, please forgive me. Don't worry, this will never happen again, I'm not a pervert or anything. It's just that I saw your face in the moonlight and my body, rather my face moved against my will. It's instinct you know, when a man sees a woman…Arg. But I'm so sorry…"

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"For what?"

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"For, you know, the…"

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"The what?"

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"You know darn well what I mean--"

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Hayate turned his head around sharply to face Himeno whose face was only inches away. He blushed at their proximity and moved his head back.

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"For being…grumpy last night." _Nice save_…Hayate felt his poor heart slow down as he got away.

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"Come down, I've made you breakfast. It's to thank you for your kindness to me Ito-san. Oh, by the way, ohaiyoo gozaimasu."

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"Ohaiyoo gozaimasu Awayuki-san, thanks for that."

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Happy that he wouldn't have to cook for that morning, he quickly felt the smile fade form his face as he saw what the girl called 'food'. On the plates were black pieces of God-knows-what that he simply refused to eat. They were five minutes short of being charcoal he uses for still-life portraits. He looked at her and found her smiling at him, waiting for Hayate to eat the 'food' she cooked. Hayate sighed and speared a small piece with his fork. _This is probably atonement for all my sins. Somebody, kill me now…_

"Ohaiyoo Hayate! Ohaiyoo…"

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"Awayuki Himeno."

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"Awayuki-san, I'm Miboshi Goh. Yoroshiku!"

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"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

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Goh stood there, holding Himeno's hand for quite a long time which Hayate noticed. He peeled off Goh's fingers and dragged Himeno to his office, away from the smiling idiot who took advantage of the situation.

"Ano ne, Ito-san, why did you bring me here to your work?"

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"Because I don't trust you with my house." _If she could burn a small piece of toast, what more a whole building. That's one kid who was left playing matches by her parents…_

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"Haaai…ne, ne, Ito-san, what's this?"

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Himeno carefully picked up a black squarish piece with glass that looked suspiciously like the headlights of the car. Hayate grinned evilly and told her to press a button. The weird contraption gave out a bright flash of blinding light to which Himeno gave a little scream. Hayate rushed to the camera and plugged it to the computer and printed a photo. It was a photo of Himeno with her eyes screwed shut. _Kawaii_.

"Oi, Kei, make a hundred copies and distribute them on the streets!" His assistant grinned and reached for the picture when Himeno grabbed it and tore it into pieces. "Hidoi!" The two guys just laughed.

There she met a lot of well, weird people. First there was Nakanishi Mayune, a pale-pink haired receptionist who harasses young, handsome, and rich men, employee, boss and client alike. "What can I say, she keeps us in business with her killer connections," Hayate said. _Or her killer showers_…Mayune quickly appeared beside Hayate asking him if he was free for that night. He grinned and told her to meet him there when the big hand points to 12 and the small hand points to 13. Mayune gave him a wry smile and sauntered off to her desk.

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"Ojou-chan, want to go jigging with me in clubs tonight?" Himeno shuddered as a short, bald man was clinging to her shirt. "Aya, ojii-san, hanashite!" She whacked him on the head with her bag and moved closer to Hayate. "Ito-san, why I such a hentai in your office?" "Awayuki-san, that's the president of Hikari Enterprises." "Where do you work again Ito-san?" "Hikari Enterprises." Himeno looked at him incredulously, almost waiting for Hayate to confess that it was just a joke. "Him?" "Yup, that's Tanaka-sama." Himeno quickly bowed her head in apology, "Gomenasai."

The old man flashed her a smile and told her, "Don't mind ojou-chan, how about dinner tonight?" he got another whack to his head.

Kurokawa Mawata, the ever reliable radio lover/technician decided to confer with Hayate on the settings needed for the opening next week. Himeno wandered off as the two launched into a heated argument on whether to use a gloss or matte finish.

Himeno sat down on Hayate's chair in his office. She decided to take a look around. The mini refrigerator held a few cans of beer, a bottle with a couple of swigs of sake left inside, and some leftover Chinese food Hayate was crazy about. She checked the desk and found it almost empty, save a few framed photos on it. They were all neat and color-coordinated. _So much like Ito-san…_

She scanned the pictures on his desk and found a familiar face in one of them. Silver hair, pale skin, the wan smile and meltingly gorgeous eyes…

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Missing you already Sasame…

To be continued….

Chapter was a bit useless but important for me to be able to continue. Light fluffy stuff will soon turn to sappy tear-jerkers for those who cry easily. For those who are stone like me, laugh your hearts out. 7 more chapters to go! Please give feedback! Thanks to those who reviewed!

Ack, before I forget:   
Hidoi- mean   
Ojii-san- grampa   
Ojou-chan- small lady, young woman… etc   
Hentai- pervert   
Hanashite- I think it means let go! Tell me if I'm wrong. That's how I hear it in anime. Oh, by the way, what's the color of Sasame's eyes? The shower thing with Mayune is the thing she does in the anime.


	4. Fairy Fantasy

I was going to give up on this because no one was reviewing and one comment made me bang my head in frustration, but after two people reviewed (after months) I changed my mind. The power of reviewing!

This is where he gets the physical inspiration…no, not **that** physical. I am typing this at exactly 1:23 am. I have to keep quiet or my mom will wake up and hear me…

I will try to make long and meaningful chapters. I promise to do so but I have a lot of other important stuff to do so don't expect much. By the way, please review. Thanks. On to the story.

Basic disclaimer, Pretear is not owned by me. Expect characters to be ooc. It is an alternate universe after all. I have some original characters…like the nurse.

For the less astute readers: **bold** is for emphasis, _italics_ for thoughts, "_quoted_ _italics"_ for alter ego, "quoted text" for dialogue, and plain text for plain stuff. Okay?

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Picture Perfect

Chapter Four: Fairy Fantasy

"It's only been a few days yet I feel like a year has already gone by…"

"Awayuki-san, what are you doing here?"

"Ito-san, I was just looking around."

Hayate's face paled when he saw the framed picture of himself as a baby wearing nothing. Now, he seriously regretted allowing his mother to furnish his office. He did keep the photo around to scare the rats away from his food stash, but there's no way he's letting Himeno see it. It was freaky with her living in his house, which was by the way a temporary arrangement.

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"Temporary? Where have your balls gone to?"

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Right where I want them, thank you…

"I meant it figuratively…you pervert."

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Oh…OH…I can't scare her away with the cute lil tush of mine anyway. _She's no rat…If she were one I'd get myself turned into one too and have as many cute little rats…err…ratlings or whatever you may want to call them with her…shit, what the hell was I thinking?_

"Don't deny it lover boy, you've definitely got the hots for her."

Shut up.

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"Gladly, after you knock some sense into yourself and ask her out."

He booted up his laptop to 'search for the file Goh was missing' [a sneeze comes from Miboshi's cubicle]. It was then that he discovered that the candid picture of Himeno was not yet deleted. He printed it as she was sipping her coffee and decided to hang it next to the Save the Dolphins: Anti-Balloon Movement' poster he had. Hayate wondered how long it would take before she noticed… which was not very long.

Himeno watched as Kaneshiro Sayaka placed a huge cross-shaped bandage on Hayate's nose. "Gomen Ito-san, I guess I don't know my own strength…" "Yeah and I bet you were raised with gorillas," Hayate muttered under his breath. _Uh, migraine coming_… "Can I have some Advil too?"

Sayaka looked over her shoulder and called her son, "Shin! Shin! Come here!" A cute little boy with an angelic face stepped forward. His cousins Hajime and Mannen were right behind him. They both had stethoscopes and bandages in their hands, with surgical tape adorning their locks, followed by hair scrunchies made of gauze. Only the cotton stuck in between their toes escaped the roving eyes of their aunt. She scolded them and threatened, "Would you like me to send you to military camp?" the two dropped their gadgets in horror and ran behind Shin, who only smiled.

Hayate raised his palm and said, "Nurse, there are horrible trolls hammering the neurons out of my brain right now-" She handed him a placebo and told him, "Here, take this. It works the same magic. Now get out of my office!" She shoved Hayate and Himeno out the door where they landed in a tangled pile of limbs.

Himeno carefully lifted her head off Hayate's chest and her eyes met his, locked together for ten seconds. _Oh my god, oh my god... I've just hurt Sasame's best friend twice in one day! This is not good_…

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Shit, I can hardly stop myself from kissing her…control, mind over matter…ohm…think Zen philosophy…He slowly inched his face to hers…in his desperation, he blurted out, "You have something in your eye."

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"Great, 'you have something in your eye…don't you think she would have noticed that? It's **her** eye after all."

What was I supposed to say, "I love you and I want you right now?"

"Very good Hayate, you're finally getting the hang of this thing."

Do you seriously think I'd say that?!!

For a moment there I thought he was going to…"Gomenasai Ito-san for this, thanks for telling me." She quickly got to her feet and helped him up. Hayate caught sight of a necklace round her neck. He stared at it, wondering where he had seen it before. _Never mind._

"By the way Awayuki-san, I think we should start calling each other by our first names; we do live in one house."

"Smooth."

Thanks.

"Okies Hayate-san."

"That's more like it."

Hayate decided to let Himeno choose where they were going to eat lunch, and she saw a restaurant decorated with small figurines and hundreds of sparkling crystals, hung from the ceiling like tiny stars. Himeno read the sign, "Fairy Fest." Normally, Hayate wouldn't go a foot near those kinds of restaurants, but he let himself be led in. he did let Himeno choose the place.

The lights emitted a soft glow, changing every minute into another color of the spectrum. Hayate called the waiter and could hardly stifle a laugh when he saw their uniform. Waiters there were dressed as dandy leprechauns, complete with a 'pot of gold' for each. The waitresses got to wear beautiful gowns, along with a pair of organza wings. It didn't take Hayate long to figure out that the owner of the fairy joint was a woman.

A song was playing softly in the background, making both of them close their eyes to listen to it. Himeno softly hummed along.

_

_

None is just where one pretends and wonders…

Counting for a Perfect World to mind us

If we add the fractions

To one simple answer

Then each love will figure out

To one Perfect World…

"Nice song," interrupted the waiter. The two opened their eyes, startled by the sudden crash into reality. The menu wasn't really that long, but all the food was so darn delicious that one couldn't resist ordering them all.

They were able to stuff themselves, mostly with cake, when another nice song played in the background. People started moving to the center of the room and dance to the music underneath the chandelier.

"Would you like to dance?" Hayate held out his hand, hoping that Himeno would accept his offer. She happily agreed, and let Hayate lead her to the center.

Hayate held her right hand and placed her left hand on his shoulder. He slowly slid his hand down her back to rest on her waist perfectly. Ever so gently, he guided her through the dance, allowing his feet to synchronize perfectly with the lovely tune.

Himeno closed her eyes and let her imagination run wild. She dreamed that she was dancing with the fairy prince,. It had been her fantasy since childhood, filling her head with pleasant thoughts. She slowly reached out to touch the cheek of the prince, allowing her fingertips to explore his features. She traced the prince's jaw, his forehead, nose, and then the irresistibly soft lips. She felt herself color, and quickly withdrew her hand. However, the prince caught it, and kissed it tenderly, making it stroke his soft silver hair. _Sasame_…

Her eyes flew open, and she was thankful that her hand had not imitated its counterpart in the dream. Himeno glanced at Hayate, and once again their eyes locked with each other. She was a bit frightened at how she was losing control of her thoughts, letting her mind question her heart. _Oh god, his eyes are so beautiful_. For a split second, she saw her prince's hair turn dark blue…

A cellphone ring shattered the fantasy. To Hayate's dismay, it was his. He groaned softly and answered it, barking, "What the hell do you think you're doing? I told you, never, ever call me during lunch break!"

He had to hold it at least a foot away from his ear as Goh's loud voice came through the line, "Lunch break my ass! It's already 2 pm! What, you have three stomachs? Get your tailored butt back here, Tanaka's looking for you!"

"Nani?!" He glanced at the clock to confirm Goh's revelation. It struck 2 and ugly little elves came out of a little door, vigorously shaking a bell both were holding.

Hayate almost knocked over a chair in his rush to get to the exit. Himeno called to him and the moment he turned around, a waitress was standing directly behind her, giving the illusion that she had wings. He gasped as her dress cooperated and floated softly below her knees.

"Eureka…" He turned round on one heel, running to the office and left Himeno behind.

To be continued…

Yes, I know, that was rude of him. About the dolphin poster, a friend told me there's this movement against balloons for the sake of dolphins. The critters mistake balloons for food and suffocate.

I will update…sometime…soon I hope…

Please review!


	5. An Interlude of Sorts

Holy macaroni! **Picture Perfect** and **A Song For My Beloved** now have 4 chapters each! What?! I promised a lot of things before, like updating each month (Ha! Dream on dementedding…) and stuff like that… This time, the only thing that's definite is that the next chapter will come out after September 11, 2004 (not right after, could be days or weeks…).

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Picture Perfect

Chapter 5: An Interlude of Sorts

She was confused by Hayate's behavior. First he treats her to a fine restaurant, dances with her, and then suddenly deserts her. _Mou, the jerk left me in the restaurant! Never mind, I still have his wallet anyway_.

Himeno left to go back to Hikari Enterprises, where she was sure to find Hayate but was hindered by her phone's familiar ring. "Moshimoshi?" She nearly dropped her cell when she heard a smooth voice say, "It's been a while Hime-chan."

"Sasame…"

"So how's Hayate doing? Did he let you stay at his house? I'm sorry Hime-chan, there was a mix-up so I wasn't able to book you a room in a hotel."

A tiny smile crept on her face as she knew that he was very busy but he still managed to take care of her lodging. "Iee, I'm perfectly fine there. Hayate-san is nice to me. He even treated me to lunch today."

"I see you two are getting along well. It's first name basis now. Yokatta nee, Hime-chan."

Himeno felt her cheeks burn at the mention of that; she didn't feel like telling him the strange circumstances of _their_ first meeting to Sasame on the phone. She decided that the story could wait.

"Hime-chan?" She loved that nickname he had given her. It made her feel special every time he spoke it. Himeno loved being Sasame's 'princess'.

"Hai?"

"I love you."

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After a long presentation, Hayate and a couple of his colleagues were released from the conference room. Finally, Hayate had given Mr. Tanaka a progress report of his exhibit. The company didn't keep Hayate around for nothing. The famous photographer had earned various awards for his works, and almost every company in the business was intent on snagging Ito Hayate. Hikari Enterprises had something all the others didn't: creativity. And of course, a vendo machine that doled out bottles of his favorite bloody mary was installed in Hayate's office.

For his past exhibits, he had always chosen nature as the subject of his artistry. This time, he held an amazingly simple yet effective concept as his brainchild. The image of Himeno flashed in his mind, bringing a smile to his lips. Seeing her with those wings gave him the idea of shooting fairies amongst ordinary people. The busy streets of Tokyo would provide a perfect setting wherein the contrast between fantasy and reality would be greatly heightened.

Himeno changed her mind about venturing back to Hikari Enterprise and decided to go to Hayate's house after Sasame had called. He told her to rest for a while. Sasame sounded pretty concerned when Himeno told him she had a dizzy spell the other day.

"And so the initial shoot is scheduled for Friday. I expect to see you all then." Hayate finished his usual impromptu speech to his crew, a tradition he had introduced to Hikari Enterprise. He was excited because this project was the biggest he had ever had in years. Tanaka-sama had given him a big budget, one that allowed him to reserve the Meiji Jingu shrine near the National Youth Center in Yoyogi. The big intersection near it was a plus. The place was frequented by poker-faced businessmen (who let go of all their reserves once the beer started flowing), schoolgirls in their ridiculously short skirts (even in frigid conditions, they manage to survive), old women paying their respects to the Emperor's grave in their lavish kimonos, and tourists expecting English replies to their queries done in Nihongo.

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I really should thank Himeno for giving me that idea. I'm going to love working on this project.

"Speaking of love, perhaps a kiss is in order? A breathtaking evening by the moonlit Yokohama bay sounds wonderful. I'm sure the lovely muse would appreciate a romantic gesture. I shall order the wedding china."

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What?!

"Would you like the delicate rose pattern or the marvelous Ming Dynasty's designs?"

Hayate gave himself a mental slap to restore control of his mind, which was being its usual rebellious self. He had to admit though, he didn't mind driving for two hours just to _thank _**her**. Hayate, upon thinking of Himeno, realized that he had left her in the restaurant so he ran all the way there. _Idiot, how could I have forgotten about her?_ He leapt over various obstacles, including a manhole cover being lifted up by an unsuspecting worker. The flustered man was sent back into the murky depths of the sewer, and he was left to curse his bad luck.

Upon reaching the restaurant sans Himeno, Hayate saw the waiter who took their order. Hayate grabbed the man while he was flirting with the other employees and demanded, "Where is Himeno-san? Where is she?" Bewildered, the waiter stammered, "Wha-what are you talking about? I didn't do anything! I swear the whole pole-dancing stunt was a joke! I didn't know they were filming it!" _I guess their uniform's starting to get to them…_ Hayate released the confused waiter and turned to the waitress beside him. She asked for a description of the person he was looking for, so Hayate gladly obliged.

"She's in her early twenties, about this tall," he gestured with his hand, "…pink hair, crimson eyes, wearing a white dress…"

__

"With smooth creamy skin, soft, luscious lips, a great body with all the right curves…"

Yes, that's true… Hey! Stop that!

The waitress, who was starting to get scared by the weird faces Hayate was making, quickly answered, "I'm sorry sir, but the girl you are describing left a few hours ago." Hayate cursed himself, common sense finally kicking in. No girl would wait three hours for him. Hayate decided to call his house in case she was there.

__

Come on, you have to be there… He knew that she didn't know her way around the city. It certainly didn't help that it was almost sundown, and a lot of shady characters lurked everywhere. A thousand what-ifs flashed through his head, none of them good.

Himeno heard the phone ring for the nth time already, but she was unable to answer it because she didn't have the keys to his house. Hayate had stashed away the extra set of keys Sasame had told her about, with the photographer mumbling something about finding a more secure spot for it. Himeno decided to sit on the front steps and wait for the owner of the house to arrive. It was a good thing there was a post to lean on, for she already felt her eyelids getting heavier… _Nemui… Tsukaretta…_

Hayate groaned as his calls were not being answered. _Where could she be?_ He retraced their route earlier, hoping to find her somewhere along the way. A glance at his watch told him that it was already past seven, which meant drunks were starting to populate the city, from the usual ramen cart, to the fancy clubs. _This cannot be good._ Lately, there were a lot of reports on unaccompanied women being mugged, harassed… Hayate wanted to kick himself for leaving her in that restaurant. He couldn't believe he was worrying this much about a girl he had just met, yet he couldn't help it.

Hayate's heart stopped when he heard a scream from a dark alley. His worst fears were confirmed.

To be continued…

I'm not restricting myself to 10 chapters anymore. Yayness. Factoid #1: Picture Perfect's 5 chapters were created in one big notebook composed of paper from my elementary school notebooks. Factoid #2: ASFMB (the prequel) with its 4 chapters were created straight in Microsoft Word! Isn't that weird?

Happy birthday to me! I decided to upload this chapter before FFnet discovers my AN chapter and deletes my account. Hope you guys continue to support Picture Perfect!


	6. Awakening Passions

Wow! 2 readers have discovered the fifth chapter (which used to be an AN) and I'm glad for it. Thanks to _Lyeza_ and _moongirlSelene99_. I was so happy coz FFnet doesn't 'up' your story on the list if you replace chapter content… but still these people found it!

Pretear… Just gotta love it. Too bad I don't own it. I would have made a lot of episodes.

* * *

Hayate groaned as his calls were not being answered. Where could she be? He retraced their route earlier, hoping to find her somewhere along the way. A glance at his watch told him that it was already past seven, which meant drunks were starting to populate the city, from the usual ramen cart, to the fancy clubs. This cannot be good. Lately, there were a lot of reports on unaccompanied women being mugged, harassed… Hayate wanted to kick himself for leaving her in that restaurant. He couldn't believe he was worrying this much about a girl he had just met, yet he couldn't help it.

Hayate's heart stopped when he heard a scream from a dark alley. His worst fears were confirmed.

Picture Perfect

Chapter 6: Awakening Passions

"Ito Hayate!" Hayate whirled around upon hearing someone scream his name… It was a familiar voice, and what he saw made his blood boil. It was an image he had been dreading, something he never wished to see in his lifetime. In that dark alley was the **worst** possible scenario he had been dreading…

O god, she's with…

"You! Step away from her," Hayate barked to the person in front of him. His fists were clenched, his mouth set in a scowl. She was caught in the person's grasp, unable to return to Hayate. The photographer was furious at the way the person stroked her, lavishing caress upon caress, as she remained silent throughout the whole affair. Hayate growled and seethed, "Get away from her, **right now**!"

The captor laughed and freed its hostage, giving her a teasing pinch before leaving her on the side of the road. "You… **you**… How could you?!" Hayate spluttered, making the assailant laugh heartily for being able to rattle the flustered photographer. "Poor Hayate, who knew you'd be so protective of her?" gesturing to the slick black **Ducati** on the pavement, "Obviously I still know how to push your buttons."

"I don't care what you say, _Lexa_ is mine, and she's not something you can just kidnap from my house," Hayate grumbled and scooted over to his marvelous bike, scanning it for scratches or dents his ex-girlfriend might have caused. He gasped, pointed to a spot and exclaimed, "You nicked _Lexa_!" Mikage sighed in defeat and examined the alleged damage before flicking it away with carefully manicured finger. "It's jut a speck of dirt you observed you baka. I **can** take care of _Lexa_." She emphasized her statement by flinging her auburn hair away from her eyes, which she was using to shoot daggers at Hayate.

"Whatever you say Mikage. Remember what you did to my precious _Flare_?" Mikage rolled her eyes, jabbed him in the chest and said, "Would you please stop making up stupid names for your beloved motorcycles? And for your information, it was you who got drunk with beer and crashed that scarlet bike of yours into that Cat's Eye café."

Hayate cringed at the mention of the place he had to refurnish with about 5 months of his salary at that time. _Oh yeah… That was **me** alright…_ Mikage ranted, "All I did was hold on. _Hayate no baka_, always chugging down Bloody Mary but can't handle Big Bad Beer." _Ouch_. An annoyed Hayate retorted, "It's not my fault I'm allergic to it!" "Which proves how much of an **idiot** you are," countered Mikage, delivering a final jab to his sternum with the sole intention of making him fall backward. It was, however, an exercise of futility as the photographer was taller than Mikage by about a head. She could have tried ramming her stiletto into his skull, as it would have produced the desired effect.

Starting to run out of insults, they held an impromptu staring contest, trying their best not to blink, but in the end, Mikage found herself latched onto Hayate's arm, asking him in a cajoling tone, "Sooo, who's the new girlfriend?" Hayate narrowed his eyes into slits before throwing back a question at his ex, "What new girlfriend? You haven't been spying on me again, have you?" He assumed a defensive stance, steeling himself against a violent fit she might throw… again.

Mikage didn't really take the breakup well. She left him a hundred messages, using such colorful language that was capable of making a person crawl back to where he belonged. Mikage didn't stop at that; she wasn't called **persistent** for nothing. _You forgot stubborn and pigheaded._ He had once caught her posing as a window-cleaner, looking into his office for clues. Hayate didn't have to call the police though; Mikage got arrested on her own accord when she pushed her fellow window-cleaner off the platform.

It was a rather good thing his office was located at the second floor at that time. Had that happened after his transfer to Hikari Enterprises, the poor window-cleaner would have definitely ended up wiping the stained glass for God, for Hayate's office was located on the seventh floor. Then again she wouldn't have probably pushed him off if they were at that height.

But still, with Mikage, one could never be too sure when the medication wears off and the mental imbalance takes over…

"Sanity is so overrated."

"Mayune has been keeping me informed, thank you. I haven't been following you around now; it was just impossible to miss that pretty pink-haired girl waiting for you at your house. You know, me, stealing your bike and all?" Mikage waved in front of him, waiting for the horrified expression on his face to disappear so he could carry on the conversation with her. _Shimatta! Himeno-san!_

It finally dawned on Hayate that he had just completely forgotten all about looking for Himeno because of his ex-girlfriend appearing within 10 feet of his precious Ducati. "Oi, Hayate? Hello? Is anybody there?" Mikage shrugged and gave him some parting words, "Hayate, I hope you don't catch flies with your mouth wide-open like that. I-am-going-now. Do-you-understand?"

She was starting to walk away when she heard him mumble, "She's not my girlfriend." _Not yet at least._

"I thought we already decided to skip the girlfriend stage and move on to the marry and live happily ever after part?"

Mikage smiled at the rather _interesting_ face of Hayate and said, "I didn't think you'd find another one that easily; I am rather hard to replace. Jaa! It was nice talking to you again. Please remember to lock your doors, you're making it easier for me to scare you out of your wits. Goodbye, Hayate-poohbear!"

He winced at the way she said that despicable nickname… Hayate-_poohbear_… "Goodbye Mikage," he said with a decisive tone. It was stupid really; he never did have the guts to tell her how much he **hated** that term of endearment she gave him. He could face bullets, kungfu masters, rabid dogs… anything but the neurotic Mikage. Hayate wanted to strangle Cupid for shooting that particular arrow that matched him with crazy fashion designer Mikage in the first place.

Hayate waited for her to go round the corner before bursting into a cussing fit. _Baka, baka, baka… How could I have forgotten **twice**?! At least I know Himeno's safe._ There was some comfort in that thought. _Make that a **lot** of comfort._

"Man, you really need to get your priorities straight."

I know… Hayate moaned inside his head. It was a reappearance of his bike-itis, a rather mysterious disease that prevented him from having sound relationships. Mikage, the overzealous fashion designer/ex-girlfriend managed to remind him of its symptoms. He decided to put all these aside and go back to his house, so he could finally _rescue_ Himeno, the current _damsel in distress_.

"You better hurry before somebody else gets a hold of your princess."

You never give up, do you?

"Why Hayate, it took you this long to figure **that** out?"

* * *

She was still leaning on that post, drooling her way to REM when Hayate found her. Himeno stirred as Hayate picked her up and carried her to her room, but still her eyes remained closed.

Gathering her in his arms, he found her very light. She murmured something which Hayate strained his ears to hear. She nestled closer to his chest unexpectedly, making Hayate turn a good shade of crimson.

It was an incredible sense of déjà vu as he tucked her in that same bed and looked at her sleeping face with such longing. _At least I know it wasn't the beer…_

"It was **never** the beer, dear boy."

It was as if they had met once again, as if he had been given another moment to steal a kiss from her lips, waiting to be touched, waiting to be caressed with his own…

He couldn't deny that he wanted to caress her creamy skin, stroke her hair, and maybe, just maybe, kiss her under the romantic moon.

But he decided against it, and opted to gaze at her instead. _Looking at her is enough_. He reached for her hand and let it rest on his, squeezing it gently every once in a while to make sure she was actually there. Hayate forgot everything, from the meeting for his exhibit, to the taxing encounter with his former girlfriend… All that played in his head was that soothing melody, and the precious seconds of a first dance were relived in Hayate's consciousness.

All he could remember was that magnificent instant when he turned around and saw Himeno with all her fairy splendor. All Hayate could recall was the way her hair danced with the wind, the way her eyes sparkled with delight, and the way her cheeks were flushed with excitement.

The words of Shakespeare came to mind: _No sooner met but they looked, no sooner looked but they loved, no sooner loved but they sighed, no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason._ If there was truth to be found in those words, then there was no doubt that Hayate was already a goner the moment he laid eyes on Himeno.

Hayate murmured, "Gods, you are so beautiful Himeno-san." Moonlight softly bathed two mortals, one who found happiness in the land of pleasant dreams, and one who was perfectly content spending the remaining hours of the night awake.

* * *

to be continued…

Yeah! Another chapter done, and this one doesn't have a cliffhanger (which is rather unusual for me, I love cliffies). Hope you enjoyed reading the works of Shakespeare as much as I did. The Great Bard did know how to spin his yarns.

Thanks for the reviews you guys, I really appreciate them. A special shout-out to _chinoz_, I'll answer your question in the next chapters… I hope.


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